A. MASSP Supports Legislation That:

1. Would guarantee all schools an adequate and equitable level of educational funding to meet state and federal mandates, including required assessments, and guarantee all students equal access to educational opportunities.
2. Urges the General Assembly to review and strengthen laws related to Missouri's various tax credit programs and laws related to tax increment financing, urban redevelopment corporations and enterprise zones to ensure that revenues are available to support the services provided by school districts and other political subdivisions. In addition, MASSP supports legislation to ensure voting representation for school districts on governing boards which grant either Chapter 100 or Chapter 353 tax abatements.
3. Creates educational standards for home-schooled students and institutes procedures for enforcement of those standards.
4. Limits possession of weapons, concealed or otherwise on all school premises, facilities, parking areas, grounds, vehicles, and at all school activities, with the exception of law enforcement officials, and that strengthens penalties for violations.
5. Modifies the circuit breaker law, opposes property tax freezes, and supports homestead exemptions so long as protection of school district property tax revenues is guaranteed and the state is fully funding the program.
6. Allows the voters of Missouri to amend the State Constitution to provide for a simple majority approval of public school general obligation bond issues and to increase the limit of bonded indebtedness.
7. Provides new sources of funding for school building construction and renovation.
8. Provides voting representation for school districts on governing boards which grant either Chapter 100 or Chapter 353 tax abatements.

B: MASSP Opposes Legislation That:

1. Reduces revenue to public schools, including voucher programs, tuition tax credits or tax deductions.
2. Restricts local control regarding:
   1. disciplinary policies;
   2. the expenditure of administrative costs for school districts
   3. the employment, assignment, compensation, or termination of school personnel;
   4. language that would directly lead to or would be an incentive for the consolidation of school districts or would authorize inter/intra-district "school choice”;
   5. the authorization of inter/intra-district "school choice”;
   6. the principal's right to preview student publications in the best interest of students, schools and communities; or
   7. curriculum.
3. Supports a bargaining process for public school employees that ensures that school districts retain final decision making authority and have the ability to accept, reject or modify any proposal that may be presented.
4. Attempts to regulate the operating procedures of the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
5. Authorizes any action merging the Public School Retirement System with the federal Social Security System.
6. Authorizes the combining of retirement system investments.
7. Authorizes the expansion of charter schools.
8. Mandates that school districts educate students who have been suspended or expelled.

C: MASSP believes that today’s educational environment of standards-based education and high accountability demand that principals are knowledgeable and skilled in instructional leadership, organizational development, community relations, and change management. MASSP recommends that school districts provide ongoing, job-embedded professional development to assist with developing this capacity in all school leaders. Specific attention should be paid to helping school leaders learn to examine, interpret, and act upon quantitative and qualitative data pertaining to both academic and nonacademic indicators of student success.

The following measurements, in addition to student indicators, are recommended for assessing principal performance:

1. self assessments; supervisor site visits;
2. school documentation of classroom observations and faculty meeting agendas;
3. climate surveys;
4. teacher, other school staff, parent, and student evaluations;
5. teacher retention and transfer rates; and
6. opportunities for student engagement through co-curricular and extracurricular activities and rates of participation.

D. MASSP encourages DESE to develop greater accountability standards for charter schools and institute procedures for enforcement of those standards.

These resolutions were approved by the MASSP Board of Directors on June 16, 2010.